Lent is the season to grow in our relationship with God. Prayer and fasting are good starting places for attending to God’s presence in our lives. Fasting from things other than food can be very helpful in providing us time to focus instead on God. Where do you spend your free time? How you spend your free time reveals where your priorities are. Often, we find ourselves wasting time without realizing it. Television, gossip magazines, Facebook, Twitter, internet games not to mention addictions like alcohol, pornography and gambling steal our time.

Listening in silence is one way to fast. It invites us to let go of our many distractions. Do not try to evacuate your mind, rather listen for the word that continues to surface that reveals the Divine. Use the Simple Prayers on this site to lead you into a time of silence.

Replace the things that steal your time with an intent to notice God in simple activities like  taking a walk, breathing consciously will re-establish the connection between your body and spirit. Practice taking each step gently as an effort to offer peace in our world.

Fasting in these ways can actually produce a slowing. We notice things we otherwise might overlook. Fasting is not very comfortable, because it reminds us how empty we are. I encourage you to empty out, my friends, slow down and fill up on the presence of God.